Leila bats for free access to government websites bill

Detained Senator Leila de Lima on Sunday pressed for the passage of a Senate bill that would require all telecommunications companies to provide the public free and easy access to all government websites, especially in far-flung areas of the country.

De Lima pointed out it is imperative that the government embraces technological advancement in a changing social and economic landscape in order to provide a more efficient, safer, and equitable public service for all Filipinos.

“Catering to Filipino who have access to smartphones, this bill will connect each citizen to the vast catalogues of government information,” de Lima said of Senate Bill No. 1852, or the proposed “Free Access to Government Websites Act.”

“Ordinary Filipinos will be empowered to be more critical and participative in the decision-making processes that shape our society,” de Lima stressed.

The detained senator noted that though the Philippines already has a “Free Internet Access in Public Places Act” that was passed in 2017, many citizens still do not enjoy free and easy access to Internet in public areas due to the geographic constraint, especially in the countryside.

Citing a 2014 study, the lawmaker pointed out that the Philippines is said to be “experiencing a digital divide” where 66 percent of the middle to upper class being Internet users as compared to only 35 percent and 18 percent of the poor and very poor classes, respectively.

To ease the burden of public telecommunication (Telcos) entities in the enforcement of the proposed law, De Lima said the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) would be mandated to assist government agencies in ensuring that their respective websites can be accessed with minimal data requirements. (Hannah L. Torregoza)